by Nancy Beal

The long-awaited federal proposal for intensifying the rules under which commercial lobstermen are allowed to fish in the Gulf of Maine was made public last week. On December 31, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a proposed “Risk Reduction Rule” to modify the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. These are its recommendations for enhanced restrictions on already existing rules concerning the configuration of gear that involves vertical lines in the water.